Detachable sandal coverings

ABSTRACT

Articles of footwear configured to transition between an open-toed configuration and a closed-toed configuration are described. An open-toed article of footwear may include a sole, a toe bumper, a heel bumper, a toe cushion, a strap assembly, and a plurality of magnetic elements embedded within a portion of the strap assembly. Described embodiments also include a removable cover configured to conformably engage with the strap assembly of an open-toed article of footwear to cover at least a portion of sole between the strap assembly and the toe end of the sole, including a plurality of magnetic elements embedded in locations corresponding to the locations of the plurality of magnetic elements embedded within the strap assembly.

CROSS REFERENCES

This application claims priority to U.S. provisional patent applicationNo. 62/248,216, titled “DETACHABLE SANDAL COVERINGS,” filed Oct. 29,2015, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety for allpurposes.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates generally to footwear and moreparticularly to open-toed footwear such as sandals and flip flops. Theuse of open-toed footwear may be limited to certain times of the yearwhen the weather is sufficiently warm or to certain occasions or venueswhere open-toed footwear is appropriate. For example, if the outsidetemperature in the morning is too cold for open-toed footwear, but warmsup in the afternoon, a wearer may have to either switch from closed-toesshoes in the morning to open-toed shoes in the afternoon or be limitedto wearing one type of footwear for the entire day. As another example,if a wearer transitions from an occasion or venue where open-toedfootwear is appropriate to one where open-toed footwear isinappropriate, the wearer may again have to switch footwear.

Switching footwear may be cumbersome or otherwise undesirable because awearer would have to carry both types of footwear with them.Furthermore, if the wearer owns a particularly comfortable pair ofopen-toed footwear or footwear that has been customized to fit theirfeet, the wearer may not wish to switch to a closed-toed footwear evenif the temperature or occasion requires it. Accordingly, there may be aneed for an open-toed footwear that can be easily transitioned into aclosed-toed footwear to solve some or all of the above-mentionedproblems.

SUMMARY

The described features generally relate to footwear that can betransitioned from an open-toed configuration to a closed-toedconfiguration. Embodiments include an open-toed article of footwear,such as a sandal, and a removable cover configured to cover at least atoe portion of the sandal, thereby transitioning the sandal from anopen-toed configuration to a closed-toed configuration. In variousembodiments, the sandal and the cover each include one or more embeddedmagnetic or ferromagnetic elements arranged and configured tomagnetically couple the cover to the sandal.

In one embodiment, a sandal is described including a sole with a toeend, a heel end, an inner foot lateral edge, and an outer foot lateraledge. The sandal may also include a toe bumper that includes a raisededge extending along at least a portion of the toe end of the sole and aheel bumper that includes a raised edge extending along at least aportion of the heel end of the sole. In accordance with variousembodiments, the sandal may also include a toe cushion integrated intothe sole proximal to the toe end of the sole, which may be made from anabsorbable material such as sorbothane. The sandal may also include astrap assembly that includes a toe strap and a vamp, such that the vampforms an arc extending between the inner foot lateral edge and the outerfoot lateral edge, and such that the toe strap extends between the vampand the sole. In some embodiments, the toe strap is made from a suedematerial. The sandal may also include a plurality of magnetic elementsembedded within the vamp.

In a particular embodiment, the sandal includes a first magnetic elementembedded in the vamp near the inner foot lateral edge of the sole and asecond magnetic element embedded in the vamp near the outer foot lateraledge of the sole. Additionally or alternatively, the sandal may includea third magnetic element embedded in the vamp near an attachment pointof the toe strap and the vamp. In certain aspects, the sandal may alsoinclude a hooking element fixedly coupled with the sole of the sandalnear the toe end of the sole.

The sole of the sandal may be made from a plurality of layers and mayinclude a top layer adhered to a bottom layer. In some examples, boththe top layer and the bottom layer are made from an ethylene-vinylacetate (EVA), and the EVA of the top layer may be configured to be moreabsorbable than the EVA of the bottom layer.

In accordance with certain aspects, the vamp of the sandal and thebottom layer of the sole are molded from a unitary piece of polymericmaterial. The sandal includes an air-filled heel cushion embedded nearthe heel end of the sole in some examples and may also include a raisedarch support portion in the sole located near the inner foot lateraledge of the sole.

In another embodiment described in accordance with the presentdisclosure, an article of footwear is provided that includes a sole witha toe end, a heel end, an inner foot lateral edge, and an outer footlateral edge and a toe bumper that includes a raised edge extendingalong at least a portion of the toe end of the sole. The article offootwear may also include a toe cushion integrated into the soleproximal to the toe end of the sole and a strap assembly that includes atoe strap and a vamp, such that the vamp forms an arc from the innerfoot lateral edge to the outer foot lateral edge and such that the toestrap extends from a central portion of the vamp to the sole. Inaccordance with various embodiments, the article of footwear includes aplurality of magnetic elements within the vamp and a removable coverconfigured to conformably engage with the strap assembly to cover atleast a portion of the sole between the vamp and the toe end of thesole, the removable cover including a plurality of magnetic elementsembedded in locations corresponding to the locations of the plurality ofmagnetic elements embedded within the vamp. In some examples, theremovable cover comprises a felt material.

In certain aspects, the article of footwear includes a first magneticelement embedded in the vamp near the inner foot lateral edge of thesole, a second magnetic element embedded in the vamp near the outer footlateral edge of the sole, and a third magnetic element embedded in thevamp near an attachment point of the toe strap and the vamp.

In accordance with embodiments, the article of footwear may include afourth magnetic element embedded in the removable cover in a locationcorresponding to the first magnetic element embedded in the vamp, afifth magnetic element embedded in the removable cover in a locationcorresponding to the second magnetic element embedded in the vamp, and asixth magnetic element embedded in the removable cover in a locationcorresponding to the third magnetic element embedded in the vamp.

In some embodiments, the article of footwear further includes a firsthooking element fixedly coupled with the sole near the toe end. Thearticle of footwear may also include a second hooking element fixedlycoupled with the removable cover and configured to removably engage withthe first hooking element fixed to the sole.

Certain embodiments of the present disclosure may include some, all, ornone of the above advantages or features. One or more other technicaladvantages or features may be readily apparent to those skilled in theart from the figures, descriptions, and claims included herein.Moreover, while specific advantages or features have been enumeratedabove, various embodiments may include all, some, or none of theenumerated advantages or features.

Further scope of the applicability of the described methods andapparatuses will become apparent from the following detaileddescription, claims, and drawings. The detailed description and specificexamples are given by way of illustration only, since various changesand modifications within the spirit and scope of the description willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A further understanding of the nature and advantages of the embodimentsmay be realized by reference to the following drawings. In the appendedfigures, similar components or features may have the same referencelabel. Further, various components of the same type may be distinguishedby following the reference label by a dash and a second label thatdistinguishes among the similar components. If only the first referencelabel is used in the specification, the description is applicable to anyone of the similar components having the same first reference labelirrespective of the second reference label.

FIG. 1A is a perspective view of an article of footwear in accordancewith various embodiments;

FIG. 1B is a front detailed view of the article of footwear of FIG. 1A;and

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an article of footwear and a removablecover in accordance with various embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The described features generally relate to open-toed footwear configuredto transition from an open-toed configuration to a closed-toedconfiguration. In accordance with various embodiments, an open-toedarticle of footwear, such as a sandal, is described that is configuredto removably couple with a cover that encloses at least the toe portionof the sandal. In particular embodiments, the sandal and the removablecover each include one or more magnetic or ferromagnetic elements thatare arranged and configured to magnetically couple the cover to thesandal. Additionally or alternatively, the sandal and removable covermay each include a hooking element to further secure the removable coverto the sandal.

FIG. 1A illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of a sandal 100in accordance with the present description. The sandal 100 includes asole 105 with a toe end 110, a heel end 115, an inner foot lateral edge120, and an outer foot lateral edge 125. It may be appreciated thatbecause the illustrated sandal 100 corresponds with the right foot of awearer, the inner foot lateral edge 120 is located on the left side ofthe sandal 100 (as viewed from the top), whereas the inner foot lateraledge 120 of the left-foot sandal 100 would be located on the right sideof the sandal 100 (as viewed from the top).

The sole 105 may be made from a single material or may be a composite oftwo or more layers of material. For example, the sole 105 may include atop layer 170 that is adhered, sewed, overmolded, or otherwise coupledwith a bottom layer 175. Although two layers 170, 175 are depicted inFIG. 1A, any number of layers may be coupled together to form the sole105. In some examples, the two layers 170, 175 are made from differentmaterials, or different variations or blends of the same material, andare each configured or tailored for a particular purpose or to exhibitparticular characteristics. For example, because the bottom layer 175contacts the walking surface, it may be configured to be tougher or moredurable (i.e., wear down less quickly) than the top layer 170.Similarly, because the top layer 170 directly contacts the wearer'sfoot, it may be configured to be softer or more absorbable than thebottom layer 175. It may be appreciated that the materials of either thebottom layer 175 or the top layer 170 may be tailored for a variety ofother desirable characteristics such as slip resistance, moistureabsorption, anti-microbial characteristics, moldability, and heatresistivity.

In some examples, one or both of the layers 170, 175 of the sole 105 aremade from a polymeric material such as ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA). TheEVA used for each layer 170, 175 may be blended or processed to yielddifferent material properties such as increased toughness, durability,absorbability, or softness.

In accordance with various embodiments, the sole 105 may include one ormore features to help prevent a wearer's foot from slipping or slidingrelative to the sole 105 while the wearer is walking or running Overtime, this relative sliding between the wearer's foot and the sole 105,known as foot drift, may cause uneven wear of the sole 105 and/or unevenfoot impressions within the sole 105, thereby causing the wearer's footto become misaligned with the sole 105. Such misalignment may causeimproper pronation or supination and may lead to discomfort in the feet(e.g., plantar fasciitis), legs, or lower back of the wearer. In someembodiments, these foot-drift prevention features include one or moreraised edges and/or indented portions (i.e., wells) that are integratedwith the sole 105.

For example, with reference to FIG. 1A, the sole 105 may include a toebumper 130 that extends at least partially around the toe end 110 of thesole 105. The toe bumper 130 is generally configured to prevent the toesof the wearer from sliding off the toe end 110 of the sole 105, whichmay prevent foot drift and/or prevent the user from scraping or stubbingtheir toes on the walking surface. In some embodiments, the toe bumper130 includes a raised edge of the toe end 110 of the sole 105. The toebumper 130 may be made from the same material as the rest of the sole105 and may be molded or otherwise formed from a unitary piece with thesole 105. Alternatively, the toe bumper 130 may be made from a separatematerial as the sole 105 and may be adhered or otherwise coupled withthe toe end 110 of the sole 105. The height of the raised edge of thetoe bumper 130 may be uniform around the length of the toe end 110. Inother examples, the height of the raised edge of the toe bumper 130tapers from a maximum near where the big toe would abut to a minimumnear the inner foot lateral edge 120 and outer foot lateral edge 125.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the sole 105 may include aheel bumper 135 that extends at least partially around the heel end 115of the sole 105. Similar to the toe bumper 130, the heel bumper 135 isgeneral configured to prevent relative sliding of a wearer's heel withrespect to the sole 105. The heel bumper 135 may include a raised edgeof the heel end 115 of the sole 105 and may be molded or otherwiseformed from a unitary piece with the sole 105. Alternatively, the heelbumper 135 may be made from a separate material as the sole 105 and maybe adhered or otherwise coupled with the heel end 115 of the sole 105.In some examples, the sole 105 may also include a heel well 140 (i.e.,an indented portion) in the sole 105 near the heel end 115 that isconfigured to at least partially cup the wearer's heel. The combinationof the heel well 140 and the heel bumper 135 may help prevent thewearer's heel from sliding relative to the sole 105, thereby preventingfoot drift and maintaining proper alignment of the wearer's foot on thesole 105.

In accordance with certain aspects, the sandal 100 may also include aheel cushion 145 located near or within the heel well 140 of the sole105. In general, the heel cushion 145 is configured to provideadditional shock absorption for the wearer's heel during walking toincrease the wearer's comfort level. The heel cushion 145 may be madefrom a polymeric material and is filled with air in some embodiments. Insome examples, the heel cushion 145 is coupled to a top surface of thesole 105 through adhesion, sewing, or other similar attachment methods.Additionally or alternatively, the heel cushion 145 may be embeddedwithin a cutout of the sole 105 sized to at least partially house theheel cushion 145.

In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, the sandal 100may also include a toe cushion 150 located near the toe end 110 of thesole 105. In general, the toe cushion 150 provides additional shockabsorption for the toes and/or the front portion of the wearer's foot.The toe cushion 150 may be made from any absorbable polymeric or clothmaterial. In some examples, the toe cushion 150 is made from sorbothane.The toe cushion 150 may be adhered, sewed, or otherwise coupled with thetop surface of the sole 105. In some embodiments, the toe cushion 150 ispartially embedded within a cutout of the sole 105 sized to at leastpartially house the toe cushion 150.

The sandal 100 may also include a strap assembly that includes a toestrap 155 and a vamp 160. The vamp 160 is generally arched and extendsbetween the inner foot lateral edge 120 and the outer foot lateral edge125 of the sole 105. The height of the arc of the vamp 160 is generallyconfigured to engage with the top portion of a wearer's foot wheninserted into the sandal 100. The toe strap 155 extends between the vamp160 and the sole 105 and is generally configured to rest between thefirst toe (i.e., big toe) of a wearer and the toe adjacent to the firsttoe. In some embodiments, the toe strap 155 is made from a differentmaterial than the vamp 160, such as suede or some other soft material.In such examples, the toe strap 155 may be attached to both the vamp 160and the sole 105 through adhesion, sewing, overmolding or similarattachment methods. In other embodiments, the toe strap 155 may be madefrom the same material as the vamp 160 and may be molded or otherwiseformed from a unitary piece with the vamp 160.

The vamp 160 may be coupled with the sole 105 at attachment points nearthe inner foot lateral edge 120 and the outer foot lateral edge 125through adhesion, sewing, overmolding or any other suitable attachmentmeans. In some examples, the vamp 160 is made from the same material asthe bottom layer 175 of the sole 105 and may be molded or otherwiseformed form a unitary piece with the bottom layer 175.

In accordance with various embodiments of the present invention, thesandal 100 includes one or more magnetic or ferromagnetic elements 165that are at least partially embedded at one or more locations within thevamp 160. In a particular embodiment, the sandal 100 includes a firstmagnetic element 165 at least partially embedded within the vamp 160near the inner foot lateral edge 120 and a second magnetic element 165at least partially embedded within the vamp 160 near the outer footlateral edge 125. Additionally or alternatively, the sandal 100 mayinclude a magnetic element 165 at least partially embedded within thevamp 160 near the attachment point of the toe strap 155. Although notdepicted, it is contemplated that any number of magnetic elements 165may be embedded within the vamp 160 at any number of locations.

It may be appreciated that the magnetic elements 165 may be made fromany material that is either magnetized or that is attracted to amagnetized material. Examples include, but are not limited to, iron,nickel, cobalt and ferromagnetic rare earth elements. The magneticelements 165 may be formed in any shape and size that is suitable forembedding them into the vamp 160. For example, the magnetic elements 165may be disk-shaped and may be embedded into cutouts within the vamp 160sized to at least partially house the magnetic elements 165.

Referring to FIG. 1B, a front detailed view of the toe end 110 of thesole 105 is illustrated in accordance with various embodiments. Incertain aspects, the sandal 100 may include a hook element 180 thatprotrudes from the toe end 110 of the sole 105. In general, the hookelement 180 is configured to hook, clip, snap, or otherwise removablycouple with a corresponding hook element 215 of a removable cover 205(described with reference to FIG. 2). In some embodiments, the hookelement 180 is formed in a “c” shape that opens downward towards thewalking surface of the sandal 100. The hook element 180 may be made fromany suitable material such as polymers or metals, and may be fixedlyattached to the sole 105 (such as the top layer 170) or may instead beintegrated with and formed from the same material as the sole 105.

With reference to FIG. 2, a sandal 100 is shown with a removable cover205 in accordance with various embodiments. In general the removablecover 205 is configured to removably couple with portions of the sandal100 to provide a covering for the wearer's toes and toe portion of thewearer's foot. The removable cover 205 is generally sized to cover atleast the portion of the sandal 100 between the vamp 160 and the toe end110 of the sole 105. In accordance with various embodiments, the cover205 includes one or more magnetic or ferromagnetic elements 210 at leastpartially embedded within the cover 205 and configured to magneticallycouple with the magnetic or ferromagnetic elements 165 embedded withinthe vamp 160. It may be appreciated that the number and locations of themagnetic elements 210 in the cover 205 generally correspond to thenumber and locations of the magnetic elements 165 in the vamp 160. Thestrength of the magnetic field between the magnetic elements 210, 165may be tailored such that the cover 205 remains magnetically coupledwith the sandal 100 during walking or running, but can be removed by awearer.

In some embodiments, the cover 205 includes a hook element 215 locatedon the inside edge or rim of the cover 205 near the front end (as viewedfrom the top) of the cover 205. In general, the hook element 215 isconfigured to hook, clip, snap, or otherwise removably couple with acorresponding hook element 180 of the sandal 100 (described withreference to FIG. 1B). In certain aspects, the hook element 215 is ametallic hook that is oriented upwards towards the top of the cover 205.Accordingly, the upward-facing hook element 215 of the cover 205 mayhook or latch with the downward-facing hook element 180 of the sandal100. It should be appreciated that the material, shape, orientation, andattachment means (i.e., hook, snap, clip) of the two hook elements 180,215 may be altered in any number of ways to achieve a secure yetremovable attachment between the cover 205 and the sandal 100.

The cover 205 may be made from a variety of materials to achieve certaincharacteristics such as warmth, comfort, and/or aesthetic features. Forexample, the cover 205 may include one or more polymers or polymericblends, one or more fabrics such as felt, leather, suede, cotton, or anycombination of these materials. Moreover, the cover 205 may include aninternal frame portion configured to provide the structural rigiditynecessary for the cover 205 to maintain its shape and an external liningportion that provides the desired warmth, comfort, or aestheticcharacteristics.

To transition the sandal 100 from an open-toed configuration to aclosed-toe configuration, a wearer may bring the cover 205 into closeproximity with the vamp 160 until the magnetic field between themagnetic elements 165, 210 attracts the cover 205 towards the sandal100. The magnetic force between the magnetic elements 165, 210 may bestrong enough to keep the cover 205 coupled with the sandal 100 duringnormal use, such as walking or running To transition the sandal 100 backinto an open-toed configuration, the wearer may pull the cover 205 awayfrom the sandal 100.

The previous description of the disclosure is provided to enable aperson skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Variousmodifications to the disclosure will be readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may beapplied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scopeof the disclosure. Throughout this disclosure the term “example” or“exemplary” indicates an example or instance and does not imply orrequire any preference for the noted example. Thus, the disclosure isnot to be limited to the examples and designs described herein but is tobe accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novelfeatures disclosed herein.

1. A sandal, comprising: a sole including a toe end, a heel end, aninner foot lateral edge, and an outer foot lateral edge; a toe bumpercomprising a raised edge extending along at least a portion of the toeend of the sole; a heel bumper comprising a raised edge extending alongat least a portion of the heel end of the sole; a toe cushion integratedinto the sole proximal to the toe end of the sole; a strap assemblycomprising a toe strap and a vamp, wherein the vamp forms an arcextending between the inner foot lateral edge and the outer foot lateraledge, and wherein the toe strap extends between the vamp and the sole;and a plurality of magnetic elements embedded within the vamp.
 2. Thesandal of claim 1, comprising a first magnetic element embedded in thevamp near the inner foot lateral edge of the sole and a second magneticelement embedded in the vamp near the outer foot lateral edge of thesole.
 3. The sandal of claim 2, comprising a third magnetic elementembedded in the vamp near an attachment point of the toe strap and thevamp.
 4. The sandal of claim 1, further comprising a hooking elementfixedly coupled with the sole near the toe end.
 5. The sandal of claim1, wherein the sole comprises a top layer adhered to a bottom layer. 6.The sandal of claim 5, wherein both the top layer and the bottom layercomprise ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), and wherein the EVA of the toplayer is configured to be more absorbable than the EVA of the bottomlayer.
 7. The sandal of claim 5, wherein the vamp and the bottom layerare molded from a unitary piece of polymeric material.
 8. The sandal ofclaim 1, further comprising an air-filled heel cushion embedded near theheel end of the sole.
 9. The sandal of claim 1, wherein the toe strapcomprises suede.
 10. The sandal of claim 1, wherein the toe cushioncomprises sorbothane.
 11. An article of footwear, comprising: a soleincluding a toe end, a heel end, an inner foot lateral edge, and anouter foot lateral edge; a toe bumper comprising a raised edge extendingalong at least a portion of the toe end of the sole; a toe cushionintegrated into the sole proximal to the toe end of the sole; a strapassembly comprising a toe strap and a vamp, wherein the vamp forms anarc from the inner foot lateral edge to the outer foot lateral edge andwherein the toe strap extends from a central portion of the vamp to thesole; a plurality of magnetic elements within the vamp; and a removablecover configured to conformably engage with the strap assembly to coverat least a portion of the sole between the vamp and the toe end of thesole, the removable cover comprising a plurality of magnetic elementsembedded in locations corresponding to the locations of the plurality ofmagnetic elements embedded within the vamp.
 12. The article of footwearof claim 11, comprising: a first magnetic element embedded in the vampnear the inner foot lateral edge of the sole; a second magnetic elementembedded in the vamp near the outer foot lateral edge of the sole; and athird magnetic element embedded in the vamp near an attachment point ofthe toe strap and the vamp.
 13. The article of footwear of claim 12,comprising: a fourth magnetic element embedded in the removable cover ina location corresponding to the first magnetic element embedded in thevamp; a fifth magnetic element embedded in the removable cover in alocation corresponding to the second magnetic element embedded in thevamp; and a sixth magnetic element embedded in the removable cover in alocation corresponding to the third magnetic element embedded in thevamp.
 14. The article of footwear of claim 11, further comprising afirst hooking element fixedly coupled with the sole near the toe end.15. The article of footwear of claim 14, further comprising a secondhooking element fixedly coupled with the removable cover and configuredto removably engage with the first hooking element.
 16. The article offootwear of claim 11, wherein the removable cover comprises a feltmaterial.
 17. The sandal of claim 11, wherein the sole comprises a toplayer adhered to a bottom layer.
 18. The sandal of claim 17, whereinboth the top layer and the bottom layer comprise ethylene-vinyl acetate(EVA), and wherein the EVA of the top layer is configured to be moreabsorbable than the EVA of the bottom layer.
 19. The sandal of claim 17,wherein the vamp and the bottom layer are molded from a unitary piece ofpolymeric material.
 20. The sandal of claim 11, further comprising anair-filled heel cushion embedded near the heel end of the sole.